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Mazaceae, a recently proposed family in the Lamiales, contains three genera; Mazus, Lancea and Dodartia, yet the systematic position and the circumscription of the family have not been fully confirmed. This paper reports on an expanded analysis of the family that included most species of all three genera using five chloroplast DNA regions (matK, psbA‐trnH intergenic spacer, rbcL, rps16, trnL‐F intergenic spacer) and ITS of nrDNA to determine the phylogenetic placement of Mazaceae as well as the intrageneric relationships within the relatively large genus Mazus. The results support the recognition of the three genera (Mazus, Lancea, Dodartia), confirm the well‐supported monophyly of Mazaceae and show Lancea and Dodartia to be clustered together and sister to Mazus. The phylogenetic relationships within the Lamiales is highly congruent with previous molecular studies, with Mazaceae sister to a clade comprising Orobanchaceae, Phrymaceae and Paulowniaceae. Together they are sister to the rest of the families in the order. In Mazus, two major lineages were recognized, corresponding to the distribution ranges in Australia and Asia. Previous sectional treatments of Mazus are discussed in light of our molecular phylogenetic results. This study confirms the systematic position of Mazaceae within the Lamiales. The intrageneric relationships revealed in Mazus will provide evidence for further taxonomic studies of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Parasitic nematodes of the tribe Labiostrongylinea (Family Cloacinidae) occur in the stomachs of a wide variety of potoroid and macropodid marsupials in Australia, Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The aim of the present study was to infer the evolutionary relationships of the five genera of labiostrongyline nematodes that occur in Australian potoroids and macropodids using sequence data of the nuclear first and second internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal DNA. The phylogenetic analyses resulted in the separation of the Labiostrongylinea into two major groups reflecting coevolution between hosts and parasites. Two nematode species belonging to the genus Potorostrongylus formed a sister group to the remaining species of the Labiostrongylinea. This genus occurs exclusively in potoroid marsupials, which are considered to be basal to the macropodid marsupials. The second major group included species of Labiostrongylus, Labiosimplex, Labiomultiplex and Parazoniolaimus, all of which occur in macropodids. These species formed two distinct clades, one predominating in the host genera Thylogale and Onychogalea, and the second in the genus Macropus, which includes the more recent macropodids. However, there is also evidence of colonisation by both nematode clades of relatively unrelated hosts. In addition, genetic differences among individuals of Lm. eugenii from geographically isolated populations of M. eugenii, and among Ls. longispicularis from different subspecies of M. robustus suggest the existence of sibling species that may have arisen by allopatric speciation. The broad coevolutionary relationship between the labiostrongyline nematodes and their marsupial hosts therefore represents a mixture of potential cospeciation and colonisation events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Significant undocumented evolutionary diversity in Australian lizard blood parasites. • Haemosporidian and hemogregarine parasites in Australian lizards are not monophyletic. • Hemogregarine parasetemia infections was generally low (<1%) with highest 14.5%. • Haemosporidian parasitemia was higher, with four above 10% and one of 81%. • Significantly higher infection rates in geckos compared to other lizard families. Apicomplexa is a large monophyletic phylum of unicellular, parasitic organisms. Reptiles are hosts to both haemosporidian (Haemosporida) and hemogregarine (Eucoccidiorida) apicomplexan blood parasites. Within reptiles our understanding of their diversity remains limited, with a paucity of information from Australia, despite a high diversity of squamates (snakes and lizards). We provide a preliminary assessment of haemosporidian and hemogregarine diversity occurring in lizards across northern tropical Australia, building on existing data with results from a microscopy and genetic assessment. We screened total of 233 blood slides using microscopy and detected hemogregarines in 25 geckos, 2 skinks and 1 agamid, while haemosporidians were detected in 13 geckos. DNA sequencing of 28 samples of the hemogregarine 18S rRNA (∼900 bp) nuclear gene revealed five lineages of Australian lizard hemogregarines within heteroxenous adeleids. We sequenced 10 samples of Haemosporida mtDNA (cytb & coI: ∼1313 bp) and phylogenetic analysis with 30 previously published sequences revealed that the Australian Haemosporida grouped within the Haemoproteidae but were not supported as a monophyletic clade. Our results demonstrate that there is significant undocumented evolutionary diversity in Australian lizard haemosporidian and hemogregarine parasites, with preliminary evidence of significantly higher infection rates in geckos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic variation and taxonomic status of the four morphologically-defined species of Macropostrongyloides in Australian macropodid and vombatid marsupials were examined using sequence data of the ITS+ region (=first and second internal transcribed spacers, and the 5.8S rRNA gene) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. The results of the phylogenetic analyses revealed that Ma. baylisi was a species complex consisting of four genetically distinct groups, some of which are host-specific. In addition, Ma. lasiorhini in the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) did not form a monophyletic clade with Ma. lasiorhini from the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), suggesting the possibility of cryptic (genetically distinct but morphologically similar) species. There was also some genetic divergence between Ma. dissimilis in swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) from different geographical regions. In contrast, there was no genetic divergence among specimens of Ma. yamagutii across its broad geographical range or between host species (i.e. Macropus fuliginosus and M. giganteus). Macropostrongyloides dissimilis represented the sister taxon to Ma. baylisi, Ma. yamagutii and Ma. lasiorhini. Further morphological and molecular studies are required to assess the species complex of Ma. baylisi.